Premium Chocolatier's Positioning Strategy is About Emotion and Not Price

Posted by Paul Christ November 17, 2009

Labels: Marketing Strategy, Pricing, Product Management, Promotional Methods

Godiva Rides in a New Direction (New York Times)

GodivaHigher-end products don’t always suffer during a recession.  Some do fine as their key target market often remains relatively unaffected by a slowing economy.  One example is Godiva.  Positioned as a higher-end chocolate brand, Godiva is launching a new promotional campaign that makes no mention of price or the popular “value” proposition that many products now promote.  Instead, Godiva positions itself away from the mass market chocolates with an emotional appeal that states that even in bad economy it is sometimes worth splurging on a quality product.

… the campaign seeks to explain why Godiva is still worth buying during tough times, using an emotional appeal to make the case that a brief respite to indulge oneself — “the golden moment,” as it were — is as desirable now as it was when the Dow was at 14,000.

Compared to this promotional strategy, is Godiva’s positioning strategy likely to change again once the worldwide economy becomes healthy again?

< Prev   Next >

1 Comment

  1. Corinne makes this comment

    January 10, 2010

    Godiva’s new marketing campaign involves a shift from the ‘celebration of luxury’ to a more emotional, personally appealing ‘golden moment.’ Godiva is not taking price cuts on any of its products and still is being positioned as a luxury chocolate brand. They are offering a lower-priced, more sharing-friendly option with their in-store campaigns, but for mass media, they are focusing on the core, classic product. I don’t believe there will be a drastic shift in positioning once the economy is back in good health. The brand is still maintaining their status as high-end chocolate; they are simply making it understandable and appealing to a broader market. This new campaign does not hurt their brand image in any way. If anything, it probably helps make it seem more desirable to a broader market. If you ask me, paying $5 for a chocolate-covered strawberry once in a while is totally worth it, even in this recession.

Add Comment

 

New Book

KnowThis: Marketing Basics, 2nd Edition
420 pages - Only $30

KnowThis: Marketing Basics Book

For more information
Click Here.